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Opinions on Cimmaron SAA .45's
ndbilly
Member Posts: 1,573 ✭✭✭✭✭
Got the bug for a SAA. Too much History Channel lately. Anyway, the real deal (Colt) is running in the $1200 range, NIB. These Cimmarons are about $400. Anyone have any experience with them. I'd be shooting, not collecting.
Comments
If you are going to go into the SAA replicas, you really only have a couple of choices. Cimarron, EMF, Navy Arms, Traditions ect, don't actually make anything. They are all importers of mostly Uberti made firearms. In addition to the Ubertis, another Italian company Pietta offers a series and USFA makes two replica versions here in the US, the Rodeo and their SAA. You can also still find ASM made pistols although that company is now out of business. In my own experience and in talking to many shooters, the USFA pistols (those made in the last few years) are by far of the highest quality and usually ready to go out of the box. Unfortunately, their blued version, the SAA, sells for nearly as much as an actual colt. The rodeo is the same pistol and sells for about $500 but is only made in a Matt black finish that many find unappealing--personally I like it as it can be easily made to look "antiqued."
So, like the rest of us wanting a "cowboy gun," you quickly find yourself in the world or Italian replicas. I would stay away from the ASM pistols as they have had lots of problems and parts can't be found anymore and the Pietta pistols since their offerings are relatively new and unproven--although they have gotten some good reviews. Many have claimed that one importer or another is better because they demand higher QC from Uberti or they have a special deal with them or whatever. Frankly, I am not so sure this is true. In fact, buying any Italian replica is somewhat of a crap shoot. The reality is that Uberti has a near monopoly on a product in high demand and the importers have customers screaming for more and more. Years ago, this resulted in some pistols which maybe should have been rejected or sent back "onto the line" for more work being sold. My understanding and experience has been that this happens less and less frequently and that everyone has increased their QC over the last few years. However, all of the Italian replicas tend to be built with overstrengthed springs to make up for loose tolerances and this can result in excessive wear. Also, as seems to be the reality with many weapons makers today, you are likely to find some burrs and machining marks.
Fortunately, the growth of Cowboy action shooting has produced alot of gunsmiths well versed in getting these pistols up to competition form and spare parts are readily available for all Uberti firarms from Numrich or VMI. All of that being said, I have had great luck with Cimarron Ubertis and if you are gong to get a SAA replica, sticking with them seems to offer the best odds of getting a problem free pistol--especially if you are not going to subject it to the rigors of competition. I would recomend buying a pistol you could handle and visually inspect. It has been my experience that if the grip frame is well fitted and if their are few machining marks on the "inside" of the frame (visiable after you pull out the cylinder) you likely have a good pistol. If that's not possible and you must buy online or over the phone, at least buy one from a reputable dealer like Traditional Effects or Frontier Firearms that will work with you if you do have a problem.
I would recomend spending some time on the SASS and CAS wires and listening to what cowboy action shooters have to say and welcome to the wonderful and addicting world of SAA and cowboy shooting. Soon you will see that you can't stop at just one. BTW, 45 is the "only" caliber in my opinion. If you want shoot 38s, get a saturday night special, Cowboys shoot big pills.
Chris8161
Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
Berretta is currently making a SAA replica--sort of. They are making a pistol called a Stampede which is a replica of the Colt 1873 except that it has replaced the original hammer and firing pin set-up of the Colts with a modern Transfer Bar system like the Ruger Vaqueros. It is a safer system but if you want any kind of "historical replica" it hurts the eyes and ears as. The issue is further clouded by the fact that Beretta has recently bought Uberti. So, in fact, all of the Uberti guns are currently being made by Beretta...
At the end of it all, especially if you are going to buy just one pistol, I would recomend checking out the Cimarron and EMF on-line cataglogues and find a model you want. Both companies are selling Uberti pistols but each company has tried to differentiate their products by offering different configurations, different stampings and markings ect. After you've found one you want, just order it. Hopefully you'll get a perfectly functioning pistol but make peace with the fact that you may have to do some minor tuning or polishing to really get the gun to run right.
I love all of my pistols. I have purchased 3 blackpowder colts and 5 SAA type pistols. Of those, 1 was an ASM which had lots of problems and had to be returned. 1 was a pietta (blackpowder 1851) and it worked great out of the box. The rest have been Ubertis. Of those, I have had smithing work done on four of them but only one of them really needed it as there was a problem with the timing and indexing. The rest I choose to have work done simply because I get a kick out of tuning and customizing these "old" guns.
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff